Wigan were beaten 2-1 by Reading on Tuesday night, a result which deepens their troubles in the relegation zone of League One. They now sit in the bottom three, only two points adrift of safety, but there has been no real sign of improvement after four successive league defeats.

Last weekend’s 6-1 defeat against Peterborough was their most recent away outing, highlighting a vulnerability on the road. Wigan’s away record now stands at two wins, seven draws, and seven losses from 16 League One matches, with 18 goals scored and 30 conceded. It has been a really poor season for the Tics, as they haven’t really been able to exert any control on their games.

Arsenal are likely to rotate this weekend, but the depth at Mikel Arteta’s disposal means they can still field a very strong eleven - there is a massive gulf in quality between these two sides.

Arsenal are accustomed to coming into matches as favourites, but they are an especially short price to win this weekend. They faced Portsmouth in the previous round of the FA Cup and, despite going 1-0 down inside three minutes, responded to comfortably win that game 4-1. Arsenal were able to press home their advantage after going down, and they racked up eight corners.

It is also worth noting that Wigan are a division below Portsmouth, and Arsenal now have home advantage. The Gunners should be able to control proceedings from the off, and this one is expected to be one-way traffic.

Arsenal are averaging 6.05 corners per game across all competitions this season, but that is mostly against Premier League and Champions League opponents. Mikel Arteta’s men should be able to sustain pressure at the Emirates, and Portsmouth will likely have to endure wave after wave of attacks.

Gabriel Martinelli delivered a standout performance against Portsmouth in the previous FA Cup round, helping himself to a hat-trick. The Brazilian registered six shots in total, and even missed two big chances, underlining just how frequently he was finding space in dangerous areas. All three of his goals came from inside the six-yard box, simple finishes that highlighted Arsenal’s ability to cut through their opponents.

Martinelli has not featured as regularly as he might have hoped this season, so he will be eager to seize his opportunity here. He now has ten goals across all competitions, matching last season’s tally, and this fixture is the perfect opportunity for him to get on the scoresheet again

In Wigan’s heavy defeat to Peterborough, Kyrell Lisbie fired in a hat-trick from the left wing, operating in a similar zone to Martinelli, which bodes well for this selection.

Eberechi Eze has not quite enjoyed the level of involvement he would have anticipated since joining Arsenal in the summer, as the Englishman has been reduced to a bench role by Arteta. However, Eze did play the full 90 minutes in the previous round against Portsmouth, where he registered two shots, one of which hit the target.

Eze has only shown glimpses of his quality this far, but this type of fixture should allow him to operate with greater freedom between the lines. He will likely occupy central areas just outside the box, where he is comfortable receiving on the half turn and getting shots off.

Despite his limited game time, Eze is averaging 1.96 shots per 90 across all competitions this season, and he draws an excellent matchup here to increase that figure. He hopes to use this opportunity to try to make a case to start in the bigger games.

You have to think that Mikel Arteta will take this opportunity to rotate his side, but that should still result in a strong line up to take on League One strugglers Wigan.

Gabriel Jesus started in the previous round at Fratton Park, and failed to find the net despite his side scoring four, but he did provided an assist. He also started away in Milan against Inter in the Champions League, where he scored twice. He has made sixteen appearances across all competitions, scoring four times and providing one assist.

Wigan Athletic are currently managerless at the time of writing, having sacked Ryan Lowe after failing to win in seven games. His final game in charge was a 6-1 defeat away at Peterborough, and if mid-table Posh can do that to Wigan, I worry to think what Arsenal might be able to do.